


Night Breezes Seem to Whisper I Love You

by LeoTheMechanic



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: F/F, pure fluff tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-08-10 19:47:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7858759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeoTheMechanic/pseuds/LeoTheMechanic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Holtz thinks she's alone in the firehouse until she hears something unusual.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Night Breezes Seem to Whisper I Love You

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic that's longer than 300 words so please be gentle with me. It's also my first Holtzbert fic so I hope I do the ship justice.
> 
> Also I really don't know why I set it in winter when I wrote it in the middle of summer? Oh well, I hope you enjoy it.

Winter was never a pleasant time in New York. People would either be hiding in their homes or putting on some semblance of bravery and facing the bitter winds.

On such a night, where the majority of New Yorkers had taken shelter, an eerie quiet loomed over the firehouse. The only noise coming from Holtz’s light tinkering with her latest invention. Despite being the only one working, she was feeling relaxed after a breakthrough in making the proton guns more efficient and felt it a crime to disturb the silence.

~

It wasn’t uncommon for the others to head home without saying goodbye, busting was an exhausting job and they all had an understanding, they were pretty much family after all.

Although they all had individual rooms on the third floor, Abby and Patty preferred the familiarity of their apartments only a short walk from the firehouse, where they could indulge in their creature comforts and central heating. Holtz however had opted against her barely-lived-in apartment, preferring the open space and unlimited resources to a cramped studio. Erin had also made the decision to relocate when she realised how far she would have to travel to work every day from her current place of residence.

During their shared time together, Holtz and Erin had naturally become accustomed to each other, savouring in the small, unexpected facts that only made their bond stronger. Erin had begun to notice Holtz’s lack of matching pairs of socks and her tendency to misplace wrenches and screwdrivers in the fridge, which would then lead to Holtz cranking up her funky 80s tunes so she could jam out all over the firehouse whilst hunting for her missing tools.

Anyone could tell you that Jillian Holtzmann didn’t fit the definition of ‘normal’, if you looked it up in the dictionary you would see a picture of her with the classic Holtz Smirk with a strike through it. Dr Erin Gilbert found that out very quickly when she was subjected to something reminiscent of the mating dance of a Bird of Paradise, and it was clear to her that Holtzmann owned her quirks and was unashamed to peacock around. Erin on the other hand was more closed off, worrying more about the opinions of others than her right to be herself.

Holtz easily determined this and constantly made the effort to make Erin feel more comfortable in their shared home, with simple acts such as making her a cup of coffee every morning when she awoke (Holtz was never one to sleep for more than 5 hours at a time, so was usually up before Erin and went to sleep after her), just how she liked it: 2 cream, 1 sugar and a dash of honey. She even went out of her way to buy some posters of Erin’s favourite physicists, Lisa Randall and Fabiola Gianotti, for her desk next to Holtz’s lab on the second floor and the bigger office she had on the first floor. Holtz occasionally caught Erin gazing in wonder at the posters with a reddish tint to her cheeks, but she found the sight too peaceful for even Holtz to interrupt with a cheesy, flirtatious comment, before returning to her machines with a fond grin on her face.

Eventually, Erin found herself opening up to Holtz on the nights they were both working late and needed a break from that cruel unsolved equation or the proton gun that just doesn’t want to handle any more power. Holtz began learning about parts of Erin that not even Abby was privy to, like how she had gotten into a fair amount of fist fights in middle school before giving up on standing up for herself, and how, whenever she was feeling down, she’d sneak into the kitchen and make herself a sandwich comprised of copious amounts of Nutella, peanut butter and Reese’s pieces. (“Erin Gilbert, you rebellious child!” Holtz had laughed out when Erin had told her, giving her a signature wink).

Holtz was content with how much Erin had let her walls down after decades of constantly building them up and up and up for different people. She had no expectation of learning more about the lanky brunette any time soon, but was hopeful all the same.

~

Feeling pleased with herself, Holtz hoisted herself away from her workstation, deciding on grabbing a midnight snack before heading to sleep. The silence was still slightly unnerving, leading Holtz to creep down the stairs rather than slide down the fireman’s pole that she so unwaveringly adored. It wasn’t until she reached the bottom step that she realised she wasn’t the only one still working.

A soft orange glow illuminated Erin against the darkness of the first floor, emphasising her hunched back and the tired expression on her face. Holtz never failed to notice how beautiful Erin was, but in moments like that, where it was just her and Erin, she feels a longing for the older woman, like she just might be the missing piece of the puzzle that Holtz has been yearning for her whole life, after being picked at by so many unclean hands trying to make her feel scared.

Holtz shook her head softly, revelling in how much she loved Erin and bringing her back to the present. It was then she heard the soft humming emanating from the corner where the brunette was hunched over her desk, no doubt using that massive brain of hers to try to fight evil.

As Holtz noiselessly crept towards the desk, the humming morphed into a familiar and melodic tune. Holtz felt the air stolen from her lungs and she listened in awe to Erin’s dulcet tones, the physicist was an enigma of wonderful surprises just waiting to be discovered.

“Ground Control to Major Tom…” Holtz grinned, pinned in place by her co-worker’s ineffable talent and beauty.

“Ground Control to Major Tom…”

“Take your protein pills, and put your helmet on…” Enraptured by the mellifluous tune, Holtz failed to look where she was leaning, and in an effort to rest against the desk, knocked a metallic clipboard that had been teetering on the edge of the deck on the floor with a loud clang, startling Erin and causing her to fly out of her seat.

“Jesus Christ! Jilli- Holtz! What are you doing? How long have you been there?!” Erin tucked her hands around herself in obvious discomfort at being caught in a vulnerable position, Holtz’s face softened at seeing how guarded she was in that moment. She put her hands out in front of her to show she wasn’t being hostile and to try and calm the brunette down.

“Hey, hey. Gilbert, it’s okay, it’s just me. I was just getting a snack but then I heard your singing…” Holtz trailed off with a dopey grin, shrugging one shoulder, “I didn’t know you could sing, it was really beautiful.”

Erin searched in Holtz’s eyes for any sign of deception; upon finding no sign of a lie, she let out a deep breath, unfolded her arms and began nervously playing with the hem of her tweed skirt.

“You really think it sounded beautiful?” Holtz nodded enthusiastically, causing Erin’s cheeks to redden slightly, even under the orange glow of the desk lamp. “I don’t think...I don’t think anyone’s ever heard me sing before. I never thought I was any good.” Erin had her eyes glued to the ground, unwilling to bare herself to the blonde engineer.

Seeing someone so amazing doubt herself was painful to Holtz, and she let out a sigh before carefully approaching the taller woman and placing calloused hands on her shoulders.

“Gilbert. Erin. I need you to listen to me right now.” Upon hearing the seriousness in Holtz’s tone, Erin raised her head slowly; she felt herself shudder under Holtz’s intense gaze. “You are one of the most amazing women I’ve ever met- no, just listen. You are beautiful, and smart, and talented, and it hurts for me to see you doubt yourself, and you know I’m being serious because I haven’t uttered one pun since I came down here.” At that, Erin gave a gentle snort followed by a chuckle, already feeling lighter at Holtz’s words of encouragement.

“You mean a lot to me Gilbert, and you’re not you when you’re worrying about what other people think. This is me telling you, that god damn it, Erin Gilbert, you are so brilliant,” Holtz took a deep, shuddering breath in before continuing, “and that’s one of the things I love most about you.”

Holtz waited in anguish as she watched Erin’s response. Other than a slight intake of breath and fluttering eyelids, the brunette seemed to be completely immobilised.

Feeling her confidence falter slightly, Holtz dropped her hands from the taller woman’s shoulders and began slowly distancing herself.

As if a switch had been flicked, Erin burst into movement, clumsily lunging for Holtz’s hand before holding it tightly; she could feel their hands shaking but couldn’t be sure whose it was. Now it was Holtz’s turn to be nervous, trying to look anywhere but the face of the woman she was surely about to be rejected by. Erin took a step closer, feeling more confident than she had been in the last 20 years.

The proximity caused Holtz to lift her gaze to meet Erin’s. If they hadn’t have been standing so close, she probably would have missed the brunette’s uttered statement.

“Do you mean that?” Erin whispered, fearing that anything louder would end the moment. Holtz gave a shuddering chuckle before raising an eyebrow.

“Well duh, have you seen me flirting with anyone else around here? I’ve been like half in love with you since you walked into our basement lab over a year ago, acting all high-and-mighty with that tiny bowtie. Do you have any more of those by the way? They were really cute.” Holtz managed to cease her rambling before she became a human blender without a lid, making a mess everywhere. She was so caught up in her own verbal diarrhoea that she overlooked the beaming grin now etched into Erin’s soft features.

“Holtz?”

“Yeah?”

“Has anyone ever told you to shut up?”

“I’m pretty sure it’s you most of the time”

“I guess some things never change”

“Wha-” Holtz’s question was cut off by Erin tugging on Holtz’s hand whilst bringing her other hand up to her neck before pulling her in for a quick, but soft, kiss. They lingered for a moment before Holtz pulled away anxiously.

“So does this mean…?”

“Yes, Holtzmann,” she took a breath in, her smile now seemingly a permanent fixture, “Jillian. I love you too, despite your ridiculously cheesy pick-up lines and your inability to keep track of spanners” They both chuckled at that, before sobering up.

“So does that mean I can kiss you again?” Holtz questioned with a smirk. Erin was too happy to comment on Jillian’s inability to not flirt, so she just nodded and wound her hand round into blonde curls.

“You can kiss me any time you want” She replied before pulling Holtz into a more passionate kiss than the last, their soft lips moving in tandem.

Holtz used her free hand to wrap around Erin’s waist, pulling their bodies flush together. She could feel Erin’s smile against her own lips, filling her with the euphoric reminder that the woman she was in love with: beautiful, intelligent, dorky Dr. Erin Gilbert reciprocated her feelings, in a way she’d never thought possible.

As they slowed their kiss and pulled apart, both women felt a wave of tiredness overcome them, realising how late it was and how much work they had done. Holtz squeezed the hand that was still intertwined with Erin’s own, sending her a soft, sleepy smile.

“As hot as you are Gilbert, I’d really like to take a nap, and I’d like it even more if you’d accompany me,” she whispered, tilting her head to the side and giving the taller woman her best puppy dog eyes. The other woman put on a mask of resistance before that too crumbled from her lack of sleep, she chuckled softly and nodded her acceptance.

“Anything for you, my love”

Holtzmann nodded back, a wide grin set on her face before she tugged the brunette up the stairs and towards her room, both giggling softly all the way there.

~

With the heat radiating from Holtz’s body, and her thick cotton pyjamas, Erin slowly began dozing off, before a question struck her out of nowhere.

“Holtz?” She whispered. She felt a slow nod on top of her head, where she was curled into Holtz’s chest.

“Can you sing?” Erin felt Holtz’s chest vibrate with a light chuckle before receiving a hushed ‘yeah’ in response. Erin hesitated before embarking with her next question, but Holtz’s secure arms made her feel safe enough to ask.

“Could you sing something to help me sleep? It usually helps me, but if you don’t want to then-!” Erin was interrupted by Holtz pressing a soft kiss to the crown of her head and Holtz’s smooth voice quietly singing a soothing tune.

“Stars shining bright above you,

Light breezes seem to whisper I love you,

Birds singing in a sycamore tree,

Dream a little dream of me…”

If Holtz had continued singing the rest of the song, Erin was blissfully unaware.

 

In the dead of winter, Erin Gilbert had fallen asleep in the arms of the woman she loved, and all the doubts she ever had were whisked away by the bitter breeze, even if only for a night.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments/Kudos are appreciated.
> 
> If you notice any grammatical or spelling mistake I'd appreciate you telling me so I can fix it!
> 
> To listen to what Erin was singing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEwtPwkeXjw
> 
> To listen to what Holtz was singing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm0rkKqwD-0


End file.
